Can Vegan Diet Reverse Diabetes?
Can Vegan Diet Reverse Diabetes? A University of Wisconsin-Madison study suggests that people with diabetes may benefit from a plant-based diet. Plant-based nutrition has been shown to improve glycemic control, reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and delay the progression of cardiovascular disease. In a recent study, plant-based nutrition accomplished remarkable reversal of diabetes and cardiac arrest in a small study conducted by the Cardiovascular Institute and Prevention Research Center at the University of Wisconsin. The purpose of this follow-up study was simply to establish the level of adherence and long-term results of 199 consecutive patient patients who received dietary counseling to turn from a traditional, animal-based diet to a plant-based one.
The study found a remarkable and significant improvement in both plasma glucose and insulin levels, regardless of whether the subjects were already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or not. Researchers found that 72 percent of participants had borderline diabetes characteristics, including high blood pressure, low density lipoprotein and total cholesterol. The plant-based diet promoted better glycemic control over the traditional, meat-based control group. Importantly, the difference in blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL/HDL ratio and blood pressure between the plant-based and meat-rich groups was not significant. This suggests that, in addition weight loss, the plant based diet can also positively affect type 2 diabetes. There are no side effects.
Dr. Michael Allen, one of the study’s authors, commented on the positive results of the study, saying, “This is important for two reasons. It demonstrates that plant-based diets can be used to control blood glucose levels. It also shows that patients with type 2 diabetes can reap the benefits of a vegetarian diet. He said that the diet could even reverse type 2 diabetes, especially if patients eat more nuts and seeds as part of their healthy eating habits. If true, this would mean that a plant-based, low-calorie, nutrient-dense, vegan diet may have similar effects to those of pharmaceuticals, diet aid, and hypoglycemic drugs.
